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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28652883">Kolchak: The Night Stalker Shorts</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/AllTrekkedUp/pseuds/AllTrekkedUp'>AllTrekkedUp</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Kolchak: The Night Stalker</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Fear, Kissing, M/M, Monster Hunters, Monsters, News Suppression, Newspapers, Nightmares</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 14:01:56</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,479</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28652883</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/AllTrekkedUp/pseuds/AllTrekkedUp</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>These will be a series of short stories for the original Kolchak.  Some will be longer than others.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Carl Kolchak/Tony Vincenzo</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Nightmare</p><p> </p><p>'It has been a long time since Vegas.  I have seen a lot of things since then, had a lot of strange experiences, but I have only had nightmares about Janos Skorzeny.  It's always the same dream, more of a flashback really, his weight on me, holding me down with that amazing strength.  I can hear that awful snarling, worse than an animal, more frightening than anything human.  That naked fear that I wasn't going to make it out of there alive, that my end would be from the bite of a vampire.  The side of my neck exposed, I can feel his breath on it as he moves in closer…</p><p>And then I wake up, in a cold sweat, catching my breath.  Just like I did this morning, three A.M. in Tony Vincenzo's apartment.  I swung my legs over the side of the bed and headed for the living room to write up the rest of a report on crumbling infrastructure in our fair city.  Getting busy helped me shake the leftover creeps I got from such recurring nightmares.  Besides, this report was past the deadline but you can get away with those things when you're dating your boss- sometimes you can, anyway.'</p><p>Carl sat on the edge of the couch tapping away on his portable typewriter, he was in boxers and nothing else. The living room dark but for the lamps on the end tables by the couch, casting a shadowy light about his makeshift work space. The work was good but the nightmare still gnawed at the edges of his mind, he tried not to let himself think about it.</p><p>"Carl?"</p><p>Carl jumped out of his skin at the sound, hands going down on the keys printing a jumble of letters.</p><p>"Carl, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you.  What are you doing in here anyway?" Tony asked. He came around where he could be seen, wearing his gray and red robe.</p><p>"God, Tony. Don't do that!  I'm working, can't you see that?" Carl asked, looking up at him.</p><p>"Yeah I can see that. But for God's sake, Carl it's three thirty in the morning and you're in your underwear!" Tony complained. </p><p>"Yeah well, this is past the deadline!" Carl argued.</p><p>"When did 'you' ever care about deadlines?!" Tony yelled.</p><p>"Keep yelling like that and the neighbors will call the cops!" Carl warned.</p><p>Tony sighed and sat down beside Carl on the couch.  "This isn't about deadlines, you don't give a rat's ass about those.  Is it that nightmare again?" he asked.</p><p>Carl looked down. "Yeah," he confessed.</p><p>"Look Carl, I don't know exactly what you saw in Las Vegas. Oh I know what you wrote, but you've never told me how it made you feel. Now maybe if we talked about it, it might help," Tony said.</p><p>Carl thought for a moment and then nodded. "Alright, Tony," he said. They sat back on the couch and Carl started his tale.</p><p>'That night I told Tony every detail about my encounter with the vampire.  As far as it helping my nightmare go away well, only time will tell.'</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Nearly Killed</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Nearly Killed</p><p> </p><p>An added scene to the episode "The Knightly Murders".</p><p> </p><p>It was only because he figured Carl would be there that Tony went to the crime scene when it came over his police scanner.  He was somewhat worried about the man as he had been absent lately, more absent than was normal, even for Kolchak.  When he came upon the apartment he flashed his press credentials and pushed his way through, the place was a mess with the doors hacked up and furniture displaced.  But it was when he got to the bedroom that his shock turned to anger- there he saw Detective Rausch shaking Carl and threatening him.</p><p>"See here, what is this?!" Tony asked.  Coming over and pushing Rausch's hand off Carl's left arm.</p><p>"Tony?" Carl asked, still wide eyed and confused.</p><p>"I'm trying to get this 'reporter' to understand that I-"</p><p>Tony cut Rausch off. "I'm gonna make you understand something, 'detective'. You don't manhandle my boy!  You have something to tell him you tell him but you don't harass him like that!  I'll report this to your superiors! Come on, Carl, let's go," Tony said. He put a protective arm around Carl who was now holding his head.</p><p>"I'm not finished talking to him!" Rausch said.</p><p>"You can talk to him tomorrow- on the phone or with me present," Tony firmly told.</p><p>They walked out of the room to the elevator and once the doors closed on it Carl sighed and rubbed his head.</p><p>"Thanks for that, Tony. I thought he was going to shake me apart," Carl said.</p><p>"Don't ever let anyone do that do you.  We'll report him.  But what happened up there?" Tony asked.</p><p>"A woman was killed.  I was talking to her and then the killer came in I- I tried to stop it- I-" Carl involuntarily shook remembering the heavy metal armor hacking through the bedroom door.</p><p>"My God, Carl!" Tony exclaimed. He took off his coat and put it around Carl's shoulders as they exited the elevator and went through the lobby.</p><p>"It was no good. He shoved a dresser on me and I hit my head and blacked out. That poor woman…" Carl trailed off.</p><p>"You passed out? Come on, I'm taking you to the hospital," Tony said. He guided him to his car so he could drive him.</p><p>"Oh no, Tony. I just want to go home right now," Carl said.</p><p>"Like hell! You're going to the E.R. and then back to my place. You were nearly killed!" Tony yelled.</p><p>Carl looked around at the dark outside the car's windshield. "Yes.  But it's still out there- and it will kill again."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Lost Future</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>'I saw a past life today.  A lost future.  I stopped for gas on the way to work and heard a little boy whining and a baby crying in the car on the other side of the pump.  I looked over, just a glance, at first it didn't strike me as odd, but then I looked again and saw the woman pumping gas beside me.  She was petite, blonde and blue eyed and my mouth fell open when her eyes met mine- Gail Foster.  My heart hammered, Las Vegas came flashing back into my mind, I loved that girl, we were going to be married.</p><p>Gail looked at me with equal shock and opened her mouth to say something, but her little boy kept calling for his mommy.  She looked at me apologetically and turned to check on him, I finished up and went to pay.  Gail was coming in as I was going out and would have spoken that time with her son in her arms but I couldn't bear it, I went past, got in my car and took off.  I had to go to work but I really wanted a drink.</p><p>It's strange how having everything you want is so elusive, perhaps it's set up that way to keep you ambitious.  I am pretty ambitious, but not in love, matters of the heart are just not in my wheelhouse.  Some men are meant to be husbands and fathers, probably like the man Gail married, he's probably an office man at a good company that pays well.  I hope he is, she deserves it, she deserves the world and I couldn't give it to her. Not in Vegas and not here.  Still, I loved that girl, I was going to marry her.  God I need a drink…'</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Wendigo- Part One</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Wendigo</p><p> </p><p>'It was late summer in Chicago, the sun hit the concrete jungle and made life between train stops miserable.  Many people escaped to Lake Michigan this time of year, leaving behind their nine to five for cool swims, picnics and family camping trips by the lakeside.  Many people went to Lake Michigan for the summer- but some would not return to see the fall.</p><p>Mary Ellen Riker, 35, mother of two and wife of John Riker was with her family on one such camping trip on the weekend of August 8th.  The second night of what was going to be three she couldn't sleep, feeling restless she left the tent and went for a walk with her flashlight along the woods.  She should have tried counting sheep.  Her body was discovered early the next morning, or rather, what was left of it.  The officials said it was a bear attack.</p><p>Not ten days later on the week of the 17th, Robert Hooper, 49, Chicago businessman owning a downtown department store was staying in a small fishing cabin getting in his favorite pastime.  When he didn't turn in the key on the day he was supposed to, the cabin rental agency sent someone to look for him, they found what was left of his body about 100 yards into the woods behind said cabin.  Or what was left of it. The officials once again ruled it a bear attack.</p><p>I had been absorbing everything I could about these cases while trying to do stories my editor wanted me too.  But once I got a day off I knew I was heading for the lake to check this out for myself, the only problem was that the heat worked on my car and it had to go to the shop.  Being as how this was my only day off for the foreseeable future I had to stoop to low levels for transportation.'</p><p>"Carl, are you sure we should be doing this? Going behind Vincenzo's back this way?" Ron Updyke asked. He looked over at his passenger as he gripped the wheel.</p><p>Carl sighed, he didn't want Updyke with him but he was the only person he could ask for use of a car. Miss Emily used public transportation and he didn't want Tony to know what he was up to. But as it turned out, Ron didn't trust him with it and demanded to know why he wanted to use it and that he would have to go to drive.  So Carl told him he was pursuing leads on a story and if Ron would take him that he would cut him in on the credit. </p><p>"Ron, I go behind Vincenzo's back all the time. Don't worry about it," Carl assured. Though he had a crawling feeling that made him nervous, Ron didn't help matters.</p><p>"I know you do. That's why you're in trouble so much," Ron said. They had the windows rolled down letting the air in, it felt even better as they neared their destination. </p><p>"Sometimes the truth leads to trouble, Ron.  Can you go any faster?  We're burning daylight here," Carl complained.</p><p>"I'm going the speed limit!  I have a perfect driving record, I don't intend to change it because your news nose has picked up a story," Ron said.</p><p>"You would," Carl muttered. </p><p>"Are you thinking these bear attacks are really a crazed serial killer or something?" Ron asked.</p><p>"Something.  Perhaps something quite dark. Do you know what a Wendigo is?" Carl asked. He was playing a hunch and he knew it, but he couldn't help but let his mind wander in that direction after reading and rereading the coroner's reports.</p><p>"A camper?" Ron asked.</p><p>Carl sighed once again. "No. A Wendigo is a Native American legend, about a creature that roams the northern forests seeking flesh to consume. It's a cannibal and always hungry," he explained.</p><p>"Oh my God, Carl. Surely you're not going to try to say that a-a thing did this?! I admit that bear attacks are rare but not unheard of, you can't just make insinuations like that! Especially in print," Ron said. </p><p>"That's why I'm not going to make insinuations.  I'm going to talk to the game warden and go to the crime scenes and get a feel of the woods.  Now you can go with me or stay at the warden's office whatever you like," Carl said. He figured with an offer like that that his proper office mate would stay away from the woods and out of his hair.</p><p>"No. I'll tag along. Afterall, I don't get the chance at fresh air often," Ron said.</p><p>Carl was crestfallen, he thought for sure that would deter his unwanted driver.  But they arrived at the game warden's office by one in the afternoon and found the warden to be a Native American himself, a fact that Carl thought would make asking him certain questions a bit easier. After introducing themselves and explaining that they were the press Carl began questioning.</p><p>"Now, may I ask if anyone saw anything strange during these times?  Heard anything odd in the woods?" Carl queried.</p><p>The warden, a Michael Tall Bear, who had been friendly enough when they came in, suddenly lost his smile and his eyes took an interested turn.  "What makes you ask that?" he asked. </p><p>"Well, let's just say I have a hard time believing we're having a rash of bear attacks here," Carl said. He had his tape recorder going though it wasn't in the warden's face.</p><p>Ron stood off to the side, nearly leaning on the paneled wall.  The office was small and divided much like a bank is, with a counter and a waiting area on one side and working space on the other side.</p><p>Tall Bear had a mix of dread and defeat wash over his features and he shifted his weight. "Why would you think that?" he asked.</p><p>"Come on, give! We know you know more," Ron spoke up. </p><p>Carl gave him a look and looked back to the man they were questioning. "You heard the man, give," he repeated.</p><p>Tall Bear sighed. "What if it wasn't a bear… what do you think it is?" he turned the question.</p><p>"A Wendigo," Carl said immediately. He watched the warden's face closely for reaction.</p><p>Tall Bear's eyes widened a bit and his eyes shifted to the door as if someone might come in any time.  "Be careful what you speak of, newspaper man," he said. When he looked back at Carl for just a second there was a blackness to his pupils, Carl could have sworn.</p><p>"Yes.  Well thank you, warden," Carl said. He clicked off his recorder and motioned for Ron, they went back to the car.</p><p>"That was odd.  He was a strange acting fellow," Ron said. He got in the driver's seat and started it up.</p><p>Carl chanced to look back at the building as he put his recorder and camera in the back seat while they backed out. Tall Bear was looking out the window at them as they left, Carl couldn't tear his eyes away until they back out on the road.</p><p>"Yes he was. I have a feeling we might see him again," Carl said darkly.</p>
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